Unusual events
The sage Orlov had returned by mid-afternoon the next day, he arrived in the same green cloud of magical smoke carrying a sealed letter from the Lord Commander in Chaliliegrad. He ran through the camp from his own tent towards Ivologin’s command tent, pushing past the infantrymen who were huddled around campfires cooking lunch. Although further south than the Tsardom due to the elevation of the foothills the temperature was slightly lower than the usual summer temperature the Beavers were accustomed to. “I have a letter for the commander.” The sage called out to the guard standing by the tent entrance. The guard opened the flap and allowed the now slightly breathless beaver access to the command tent before leaving to stand guard outside again. “Ah Orlov, how good to see you, a pleasant trip to the capital?” The commander asked in an unusually jolly manner. “Yes my lord a welcome change from these drafty tents” Orlov gestured at the seat by the small wooden table. “May I?” “Yes of course, you look like you’ve ran all the way here.” The Commander offered him a cup of water which the sage gladly accepted. “The Lord Commander instructed me to waste no time.” He handed the rolled parchment to the commander. Ivologin scanned the letter, looked at Orlov then read the letter again slower this time. He stood up “Guard! Send for captain Larin” The sage sipped at his water as he watched the commander pace back and forth in the tent. Soon the captain arrived not wearing his greatcoat or his helm but still armed with his pistol. “I’ve received word from command captain, we are to investigate this camp and attempt to open a dialogue with these Goblins and Deer, see where their alliances lie and ascertain their intent.” The commander had stopped pacing now. “Ready thirty men, arm them for close quarters, shorter muskets for this one. We’ll meet you at the edge of camp in fifteen.” “Aye commander” The captain bowed and exited the tent. “’We’ my lord?” The sage seemed confused at the remark. “Yes Orlov who knows what oddities we’ll find in this camp, you may be the only one here with the knowledge of such things.” The commander opened a simple wooden cabinet beside his bed and pulled out his sword belt and wrapped it around his waist. On the left side a sword, not overly ornate but with a polished silver hand guard. On the right a pistol similar to that of the captains however this one had not one but two barrels. Ivologin grabbed the coat from the back of his chair, swung it over his shoulders and headed out of the tent. “Come on, we’ll be the first to meet Deer for centuries.” The sage annoyed that he would not get a proper rest stood up and followed the commander out. * * * The small assortment of Beavers followed the commander and his banner for thirty minutes on foot, Ivologin thought it would be best not to approach mounted as to not appear aggressive; he had started to regret this decision as he struggled through areas of long wild grass and heather. Soon as the men approached one of the taller hills the smell of burning wood and cloth invaded their nostrils. The Captain ran to the crest of the hill. Within the valley below by a small stream sat the Goblin camp, though not as he had seen it the previous day. The tents were burnt and collapsed; bodies of Goblins lay throughout the camp. The commander joined the captain “Gods, what happened here?” he surveyed the scene that now lay before him. “I don’t see any Deer captain, these Goblin banners though do not belong to the king in the east.” Ivologin began the descent into the valley. “Send a runner back to camp, have them pack up and meet us here. The rest of you, with me.” As the Beavers entered the remains of the encampment they passed body after body of dead Goblins all seemingly killed in battle and still not a single Deer was seen. “What cased this?” The captain asked as he rolled a charred Goblin off of another. As they continued further into the camp they found one of the green creatures slumped against a broken cart, a ragged flag still clutched in one hand. The commander knelt beside it. “This one was killed by another Goblin, this is a bolt from a Goblin crossbow” protruding though the studded leather and patched cloth was indeed a crossbow bolt. Orlov was standing behind the commander. “more suffered a similar fate, did they turn on each other?” “It would seem so” Ivologin rose to his feet again. “But why? Goblins are always fighting amongst each other but these all appear to be from the same tribe. ” Around them Beaver infantry were spread out searching the camp for some kind of clue as to the cause of this event. The captain approached the two. “Sage, something for you to see.” Orlov and the commander followed the captain to what appeared to be the very centre of the camp. There lying on the ground surrounded by singed grass was what appeared to be an orb. It was jade in colour encircled by a gold band embossed with heraldry of Deer. The sage knelt beside it, reaching out a hand, it was unnaturally cold to the touch. “What is it?” The commander enquired leaning in for a closer look. “It appears to be some form of control orb; we’ve used them before on lesser creatures such as cattle.” “You mean to say the Deer have used this to control the Goblins to kill each other?” “That is my first impression my lord. But we have never had such success with more intelligent beings in our practices.” Not wanting to hold the orb for too long the sage wrapped it in a piece of cloth. “I will of course need to bring this to the order to investigate further.” “Very well, go at once. Ensure a replacement sage is sent to us immediately, we will try to find these Deer.” Orlov nodded and again muttered the words he had last night and was gone once more. “We’ve found tracks leading to the west commander, away from the camp.” The captain offered. The commander and the captain climbed to the western side of the valley, spread out before them, more hill terrain with the mountains looming to the south stretched out for miles. “Once the men arrive captain, we will pursue these Deer.” Part One - Part Three